Movie Review: The Squid And The Whale

Professor Bernard and his wife Joan, a prominent writer, are at odds as their marriage disintegrates before them. Professor Bernard spends much of his time manipulating his wife and children in order to be in control while Joan struggles to maintain a normal life for her children while struggling with her writing career and an intense need to leave the marriage. Joan fears how the divorce will effect her children, who are at once confused yet resolved that their family is being split apart.

I had heard about this movie but didn’t get a chance to see it when it came out in 2005. The Squid And The Whale is based on the true story of director Noah Baumbach and his brother and how they dealt with their parents divorce in the 1980′s in Brooklyn, New York. The story tells of Baumbach’s parent’s crumbling marriage, their disfunctional family, and how the divorced changed their children’s lives. This is a well crafted and acted film that is often painful to watch. The uncomfortable feeling reminds me of another excellent film about family, Ordinary People. Jeff Daniels and Laura Linney’s performances are excellent. The cinematography and direction gives the film a feeling of the viewer intruding on the private lives of this family.

The Squid And The Whale is a well written and beautifully acted drama that is not for the squeemish, this is about a disfunctional family in high gear. The Squid And The Whale is a film you will want to add to your must see list.

2005. Written and directed by Noah Baumbach. Starring Laura Linney, Jeff Daniels, Jesse Eisenberg, Owen Kline, William Baldwin, David Benger and Anna Paquin.

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